Automatic dump bucket elevator



April 28, 1942. R. ADAMS AUTOMATIC DUMP BUCKET ELEVATOR Filed Sept. 4, 1941 INVENTOR. REX ADA s Patented Apr. 28, 1942 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC DUMP BUCKET ELEVATOR Rex Adams, Galatia, Ill., assignor of one-fourth to Michael Shannon, Johnston City,Ill.

Application September 4, 1941, Serial No. 409,516

3 Claims.

This invention relates to elevators for raising broken or comminuted materials from a lower to a higher level, as for instance broken coal or ores of any kind to the top of a mine shaft, or broken stone or gravel out of a quarry, or grain into an elevator, or loose materials in an industrial plant, or water from a well, or the like.

The prime object of the invention is to provide a form of dump bucket elevator for automatically dumping or discharging the buckets, as they successively rise to the point or level of delivery.

Another object is to provide an elevator of the kind referred to comprising trackways extending vertically from the lower to the higher level in the mine or other location, the trackwaysbeing curvedly joined at their lower ends and supported by frame-work rigidly in operative alignment, pairs of heavy sprocket-wheels mounted in spaced relation on shafts horizontally journaled in the frame-work at the upper and lower ends of the trackways, heavy, endless sprocket chains trained over the sprockets, and a plurality of dump-buckets, V-shaped in cross-section and pivotally and horizontally supported at their closed tips or bottoms, between the sprocket chains at each side, and whereby they are carried, there being rollers at the four upper or divergent corners of the buckets adapted to engage the rails of the trackways for maintaining the buckets in operative position, and the buckets being weighted or so set or counter-balanced on their outer sides that as theyreach the top of the ascending trackway, with their loads, they will automatically fall outward, pivoting on their sprocket chain connections, and discharge their loads, after which they will continue on up and over, the upper sprocket wheel unit, and then down again along the descending trackway, with the buckets turned downward for picking up additional loads as they pass around under the lower sprocket unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a series of dump buckets supported on endless and flexible carrier chains or the like extended along through vertical guides for maintaining the buckets in operative position, with means for automatically tripping or upsetting the buckets to dump their loads, as they successively reach their upper limit of travel.

With the stated objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may appear in the specification, attention is directed to the accompanying drawing as showning a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein:

Figure l is a rear elevation of the upper portion of an elevator assembly constructed in accordance with this invention, the lower extremity not being broken away;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view on the line 2-2 of Figure l, the cross bars of the supporting frame-work being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

As shown in the drawing, the invention comprises a pair of outer, elongated U-shaped rail units or tracks, referred to generally at 5, and including frontal rails 5a and rear rails 5b extended vertically side by side in a parallel relation, and joined at their lower ends by integrally formed, curved end rails 50.

The upper ends of the frontal rails 5a are hooked over outwardly, as at 5d, for engaging the upper end of a discharge chute DC, and the upper ends of the rear rails 51) are bowed or curved rearwardly, as at 5e.

Within these outer and relatively wide U- shaped rail units 5 are mounted a pair of equally elongated but relatively narrow U-shaped rail units, referred to generally at 6, and including frontal rails Ga'and rear rails 6b likewise ex tended vertically side by side in parallel relation, and joined at their lower ends by integrally formed, curved end rails 60. Theupper ends of the rear rails 6b are curved forwardly, as at Ed, in approximate horizontal alignment with the outturned ends 5e of the rails, 5b.

The two sets of rails units 5, 6, are arranged with the rails at each side inparallel planes, with the lower ends of the units 6 elevated above the lower ends 50 of the units 5, to equal the spacing of the vertical rails 5a, 6a, and 5b, 61), at either side of the structure, and thus providing open and equal track-ways I, la, all around from top to bottom, at front and back, between the two sets of rail units 5, 6. The rail units 5, 6, thus formed and positioned, are rigidly connected and supported in operative relation by means of, lateral vertical supports 8, which carry a series of offset or outstanding horizontal braces 9, connected with the rails at front, rear and sides as shown, in such manner as to stand entirely clear of the inner treads of the rails and leave the track-ways I, la open for the travel of the dump buckets, to be later described. A shaft I0 is journaledthrough the lower end of the frame 8 from side to side, just within the lower curves or bights 6c of the rail units 6, and heavy idle sprocket wheels I I are rigidly keyed on the ends of this shaft between the units 6 and the supports 8. These supports are extended above the upper ends of the rail units 5, 6, and a drive shaft I2 is similarly journaled through the supports at this upper end, in vertical alignment with the lower shaft ill, both shafts being in a plane passed centrally between the rails 6a, 6b. Similar heavy drive sprockets l3 are keyed on the ends of this shaft, inside the supports 8 and in working alignment with the lower sprockets ll. Heavy endless sprocket chains M are trained over the sprockets H I3, at each side of the structure.

A plurality of elongated dump buckets l5, V- shaped in cross-section are provided, and stub shafts l6 are anchored at H to the V-shaped end walls 511. of these buckets, at the angula'rly closed bottom sides of the buckets, as shown. 7

The stub shafts it are horizontally extended between the chains M at each side, in an equispaced relation and are incorporated in the chains themselves as connecting pins for the links at these points, as shown, the regular crosspins having been removed. Thus the buckets are pivotally supported between the chains at each end and may rotate on the shafts 16. Four sets of spaced straps H! are anchored at 29 to the flared upper margins |b of the buckets i5, at each side and adjacent the ends Hid, and four rollers 2| are journaled on shafts 22 between these sets of straps. The spacing of the straps and rollers is such that the rollers 2| exactly align from side to side with the lateral spacing of the rails 5a, 6a, and 5b, 6b of the rail units 5, 6, and the outward flare of the upper margins l5b of the buckets I5 is such that the rollers 2! at front and back will nicely contact and ride upon the said rails as they travel through the I track-ways I, la. The straps 19 are protruded Somewhat forwardly and rearwardly, as at its, for engaging the sides of the rails, thus holding the buckets in place with the rollers on the rails.

The diameters of the sprockets ll, 53, are

somewhat less than the distance between the median planes of the trackways "i, la, as indicated by the dotted lines at 23, so that the sprocket chains M will travel inwardly of these planes and closer to the inner rail units 6 than to the outer and wider rails units 5, thus throwing the bucket shafts I6 inwardly and the centers of gravity of the buckets i5 outwardly as they move up through the frontal track-way I,

and down through the rear track-way la. An

intake chute IC is provided for conveying material into a bin B, mounted at the lower end of the supports 8 and into which the buckets it are thus adapted to dip for gathering up material, as

they complete their downward travel through the shafts I 6, mOVe down through the rear trackway 1a in inverted position, as shown. As they descend into the bin B and turn horizontally through the lower curved, connecting end of the track-ways, they pick up their loads of material, and then move in upright position up through the frontal track-way I, being so held by the rollers 2| bearing upon the rails 5a, 6a. But as they reach the delivery chute DC and clear the upper ends of the frontal rails 5a, they fall outwardly owing to the outward pull of gravity as above described, and dump their loads at once and without scattering, into the delivery chute DC. As the buckets move on up they turn upside-down and thus pass between the upper sprockets l3, down the rear sides thereof and then down through the rear track-way la, the rollers 2| automatically engaging the out-curved upper ends 52, 6d, of that track-way. Thence the buckets pass on down for reloading, as already described.

This form of elevator thus provides a simple and efficient apparatus for the purpose, and while I have here shown and illustrated a certain embodiment of the invention, the apparatus as shown may be varied'in details coming within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In an elevator of the kind described, a supporting frame, outer and inner U-shaped rail units or tracks transversely aligned in parallel relation at each side of the frame, the rail unit at each side including outer and inner rails spaced apart in a common plane, extended vertically in parallel relation, curvedly connected at their lower ends and flared asunder at their open, upper ends, shafts journaled transversely through the upper and lower portions of the frame, the lower shaft within the bights of the inner rail units and the upper shaft above the upper ends of the inner rail units, both shafts in a plane passed centrally through the inner rail units, drive sprockets keyed onto the ends of the shafts, inside the frame and in working alignment at each side, endless sprocket chains trained over the drive sprockets at each side, a plurality of elongated dump buckets V-shaped in cross-section extended transversely between the sprocket chains at each side in spaced relation and pivotally connected at their angularly closed bottoms to the sprocket chains, the buckets being dimensioned to travel freely in either upright or inverted position between the outer and inner rail units, and means for upsetting the buckets outwardly as they rise in upright position at the top of the rail units at one side of the apparatus.

2. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, rollers on the flared margins of the buckets in alignment with the rails at each side.

3. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, rollers on the flared margins of the buckets adapted to contact the rails of the rail units, and means for maintaining the rollers in such contact.

REX ADAMS. 

